Qatar has quietly built one of the most extensive foreign influence networks in the United States. Since 2001, it has sent over $6.5 billion to American universities— more than any other foreign government— including Georgetown, Cornell, Northwestern, and Texas A&M. These “education partnerships” often give Qatar control over curriculum, faculty selection, and research. At Texas A&M’s Doha campus, Qatar even retains ownership of all research and intellectual property, including defense-related projects. Through the Qatar Foundation International, it also funds K–12 programs in the U.S. that present a politically filtered version of Middle Eastern history, sometimes omitting Israel entirely. Beyond education, Qatar spends hundreds of millions lobbying Congress and shaping policy through major PR firms like Mercury Public Affairs and Blueprint Advisors. Its state-funded network, Al Jazeera, amplifies Doha’s positions while promoting Islamist movements across the region. Together, these efforts form a coordinated soft-power campaign: using education, media, and politics to reshape how Americans understand the Middle East, normalize Islamist movements, and protect Qatar’s global image. This is the “foreign influence” we really should be talking about.